Has the charming football comedy finally become obsolete?

The silliness (and, it must be said, the joy) escalates a notch with the arrival of star recruit Zava (Maximilian Osinski, husband of Nepal-born Australian actress Dichen Lachman). Clearly modeled after Swedish superstar Zlatan Ibrahimovic, he’s a football genius, a goalscoring machine, and a one-man love-in, with himself as the subject and object of his affections.

He’s also a bit of a Zen master, and his impact on the team is immediate and powerful. Picked by every pundit for relegation at the end of the season, AFC Richmond are soon on a roll, challenging West Ham, who have been unlikely tipped to ‘win the lot’, in a sort of expert knowledge only known by Americans with little knowledge or interest in English football could come up for first place.

But with everything, the real fight is on the inside. Ted’s wife has met with the marriage counselor, the club’s psychiatrist (Sarah Niles) has moved away, and even casual lover Sassy (Ellie Taylor) thinks he’s incapable of going on a “real” date. Ouch.

With Nate consumed by resentment and self-loathing, Ted by self-doubt, star player Jamie Tartt (Phil Dunster) torn between narcissism and team morale, the real issue is clear Teddy Lasso is confidence. Too much, you are a Zava. Too little, you’re a mess.

I’m not going to predict how this will all play out, after all comedy-drama is a game of two halves, but I suspect there will be many tears before the final whistle.

Teddy Lasso Streams on Apple TV+, with new episodes every Wednesday.

You can find more of the author’s work here. Email him at kquinn@theage.com.au or follow him on Facebook at karlquinnjournalist and on Twitter @karlkwin.

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